Let Your Heart Hold Fast: Haircuts and Mischief
by curlybean
Summary: Set in the Let Your Heart Hold Fast universe. Six year old Neal gets into a little trouble. Peter and Elizabeth still have their hands full.
1. Chapter 1

Let Your Heart Hold Fast: Haircuts and Mischief

Chapter 1

* * *

Neal woke up to a strange pulling sensation on his head. He tried to roll over, but his head seemed like it was stuck to his pillow. Reaching his hand up to his head, he gently felt around to figure out what was going on. His fingers quickly found a clump of hair sticking to the pillow and he tried to work it loose. By the time he was done, there were several hairs still sticking to the pillow and his eyes burned with tears.

Jumping out of bed, he made his way quietly to the bathroom, grabbed the step-stool from under the sink, and climbed up on it to look in the mirror. He could just barely make out what looked like a giant fur ball stuck to the back of his head. Pulling on it did nothing but make his head hurt and his eyes burn with more tears. Grabbing Elizabeth's brush, he tried to brush through the clump without success. Next, he turned on the faucet and bent over to put his head under the water. He nearly fell off the stool when the cold water ran down his neck, but he regained his balance just in time. Unfortunately, though, the water didn't help, either.

For a few seconds, Neal contemplated waking up Elizabeth and letting her help him, but he quickly decided that that was a bad idea. He knew his mommy would be upset that he had gone to bed with gum in his mouth. She didn't like him chewing gum at all and if she found out that he had snuck a piece from her purse, he would be in big trouble. And if there was one thing Neal truly hated, it was being in trouble.

Not knowing what else to do, Neal did the only thing he could. He opened up all the drawers in the bathroom vanity, but couldn't find what he was looking for. Leaving the bathroom, he quietly made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. The last thing he wanted was to wake his mommy and daddy up, so he was extra careful to skip the third stair from the top that always creaked.

Once he was in the kitchen, he pulled a bar stool over to the counter by the sink and climbed up on it. He had no trouble getting the scissors out of the kitchen knife block that Elizabeth always kept pushed far back on the counter. Holding them by the blades and pointing them down to the floor like he had been taught in kindergarten, Neal carefully made his way back up to the bathroom. Positioning himself in front of the mirror again, he raised the scissors up to his head and quickly cut off the chunk of hair that was clumped together with gum.

Putting the scissors down on the counter next to him, Neal tried to examine the back of his head. He nearly fell off the stool again when he saw what looked like a big bald spot where his curly locks used to be. _Maybe no one will notice_ , he thought to himself.

Neal quickly cleaned up the chunk of hair he had cut off, throwing it in the toilet and flushing it. After that, he grabbed the scissors to take back downstairs. He was almost to the top of the stairs when he heard the sound of one of his parents getting out of bed. Instead of going downstairs, he quickly made his way back into his room and jumped into bed. He just barely had time to flip his pillow over and tuck the scissors underneath the blankets when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. A few seconds later, the door opened and Peter's head poked in. He seemed surprised to see Neal looking back at him.

"Hey, buddy, what are you doing up? It's three o'clock in the morning."

"I had to go to the bathroom, Daddy," Neal said with a yawn. "I think I drank too much juice last night."

"You think so?" Peter asked with a smile. "I guess we'll have to cut it down to just one glass from now on."

"I was thinking that I could just have one and half glasses, Daddy. Sometimes a man needs more than just one glass, you know."

"Of course," Peter laughed. "Us men do get thirsty sometimes. Okay, buddy, do you think you can go back to sleep?"

"I think so, Daddy."

Peter walked into the room and over to Neal's bed. He reached down to tuck the blankets around Neal, but was surprised when Neal moved away from him, pulling the blanket up around his neck.

"Goodnight, Daddy," Neal said loudly. "I better go to sleep. Mommy says I'm supposed to get at least ten hours of sleep a night."

"Okay, little man. Goodnight." Peter bent down to kiss Neal on the forehead, but he moved away again. Peter straightened up and walked out the door. He wouldn't admit it, but his feelings were hurt just a little bit by Neal's seeming rejection.

* * *

A few hours later, Elizabeth walked into Neal's room to wake him up. She loved to watch Neal when he was asleep, using the time when Neal was uncharacteristically still to take in the sweetness of his face. She knew she was a little biased, but she thought that he was an extraordinarily beautiful little boy. His skin was so soft and fair, his eyelashes were so long that they brushed his cheeks, and his curly brown hair was adorable.

Elizabeth took a deep breath before leaning down to wake Neal up. Once he was awake, the house would be filled with endless energy and Elizabeth and Peter would need to be on their toes to keep up with the six year old. She was exhausted just thinking about it.

"Good morning, sweetie," she said as she sat down on the bed next to Neal. "Time to get up."

Neal groaned and tried to curl up under the blankets, but Elizabeth stopped him.

"Nope, you have to get up, Neal. We have things to do today."

"I'm tired, Mommy," Neal whined. "I'll just stay here today and sleep, okay?"

"You can't, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy have to go to work."

Elizabeth moved her hand up to Neal's head, but he moved away. "Okay, Mommy," Neal said loudly. "I'm getting up, but you need to leave."

Elizabeth was surprised and a little annoyed by his words. "Excuse me? Why do I need to leave, young man?"

"I have to get dressed, Mommy. I need some privacy."

"Since when do you need privacy, sweetie?" Elizabeth asked with a laugh.

"Mommy, I'm six years old now, remember?"

"You were six years old yesterday, too, Neal, and I helped you get dressed then, remember?"

"I know, Mommy, but I'm older today than I was yesterday. And smarter."

"Okay, then. I guess I'll just go downstairs and start on breakfast. Don't forget to brush your teeth and comb your hair, okay?"

"Mommy," Neal groaned. "I won't forget."

Elizabeth laughed as she left Neal to get ready for the day.

* * *

Peter stepped into the kitchen to find Elizabeth busily making breakfast. He took a second to admire the beauty that was his wife before interrupting her.

"Hey, good lookin'. Whatcha got cookin'?" he said in a sing-song voice as he stepped up behind her and kissed her neck.

Elizabeth let out a small laugh. "The usual….. eggs, bacon, toast. Peter, did you use my kitchen scissors and forget to put them back?"

"What kitchen scissors?"

"The ones that are in the knife block. They were here yesterday, but now they're missing."

"I haven't seen them, El. Are you sure you didn't take them up to your craft room?"

"Of course I'm sure. They're not craft scissors, Peter," Elizabeth grumbled. "They're kitchen scissors."

"I didn't know there was a difference," Peter laughed. "In my world, scissors are scissors, hon. The FBI only has one kind."

Peter poured himself a cup of coffee and stepped over to the dining table. He was surprised to see Neal sitting at the table already, looking like he was up to something. Peter couldn't help but frown at the fact that Neal was wearing his favorite fedora.

"Good morning, Neal."

"Good morning, Daddy," Neal answered.

"Are you forgetting something, bud?"

Neal looked around him in contemplation. "I don't think so, Daddy."

Peter pointed at Neal's head. "We don't wear hats at the table, little man. Take it off."

Neal grabbed his orange juice and took a sip, obviously ignoring Peter.

"Did you hear me, Neal? I told you to take off your hat."

Neal looked at Peter nervously before reaching up and taking off his hat. A second later, he grabbed the hood of the sweatshirt he was wearing and pulled it up over his head.

"Neal," Peter started.

"My ears are cold, Daddy," Neal blurted out.

Peter's eyes narrowed at his son's antics, instinctively knowing that he was up to something. Without saying another word, he stepped forward and pulled the hood back down. At the angle he was standing to Neal, he instantly saw the rather large chunk of hair that was missing from the boy's head.

"What happened to your hair?!" Peter yelled, causing Neal to abruptly lean back in his chair.

Peter's yelling brought Elizabeth into the dining room. "What's going on?" she asked breathlessly. "Why are you yelling, Peter?"

"Step over here, El, and you'll see why I'm yelling."

Elizabeth stepped over to where Peter was and looked down at the very contrite six year old sitting in front of her.

"Neal George Caffrey Burke, what did you do to your hair?!"

* * *

Author's note: Well, it's been an awfully long time since I've written anything, so forgive me for being a little rusty. I hope there is still a little bit of interest out there for my version of little Neal and the Let Your Heart Hold Fast universe. If so, I'll keep on writing. Thanks for reading. I would love to hear your thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

Let Your Heart Hold Fast: Haircuts and Mischief

Chapter 2

* * *

Neal hated it when his mommy used his full name because it usually meant he was in big trouble. And he hated it when he was in trouble. Being in trouble was no fun at all.

Right now, his mommy and daddy were both looking at him like he was in big, big trouble and he didn't know what to do. If he told them what really happened, they would be really upset with him, and he hated that! But, if he made up a story and they found out, they would be mad then, too.

He really didn't know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of. Turning his big blue eyes up to his mommy, he pouted like only Neal George Caffrey Burke could pout. With tear-filled eyes and trembling lips, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"I don't know what happened, Mommy," he lied. "I just woke up like this."

"Neal," ELizabeth scolded. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"No, Mommy. I really did wake up like this."

Elizabeth and Peter shared a look. "Neal," Peter said gruffly. "Does this have anything to do with why you were up this morning at three o'clock?"

Neal looked away from them, not able to hold their gazes.

"Neal?"

"I didn't mean to," Neal finally answered. "I woke up and my hair was sticking to the pillow. It hurt, Mommy!"

"Why was your hair sticking to the pillow, Neal?"

When Neal didn't answer, Peter spoke up. "Answer your mother, Neal."

When Neal still didn't answer, Peter had had enough. "Okay, that's it, young man. You're wasting my coffee time, so until you're ready to talk, you can just sit in the time-out chair." Peter picked Neal up, chair and all, and moved him to the corner. Neal kicked the chair with his foot, establishing once again his hatred for being put in the corner.

"Knock it off, Neal. I'm running out of patience with you this morning."

"I'm running out of patience with you, too, Daddy," Neal cried. "You're being mean!"

"Neal! What has gotten into you this morning?"

"Nothing, Mommy. I haven't even had breakfast yet!"

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at that, but Peter just got angrier. Before he could say anything, though, Elizabeth stopped him. She didn't like the way both Peter and Neal were glaring at each other. "Okay, you two. That's enough. Peter, sit down and drink your coffee. Neal, I want you to turn around in your chair and sit there quietly. When you're ready to explain to us what happened to your hair, you can come out of the corner."

Peter looked like he was ready to argue, but after one look at Elizabeth, he did what he was told. Neal also did what he was told, although he was a lot less happy about it. Elizabeth didn't miss the big tears rolling down his face and she knew how frustrated the boy was.

* * *

After ten minutes of relative silence from the two boys in her life, Elizabeth finally had had enough. "Okay, Neal, come eat your breakfast. We'll talk after, okay?"

Neal stood up and pulled his chair back to the table, without looking at either of his parents. Sitting down at the table, he started pushing the food around on his plate. He knew he was going to have to tell the truth and he knew his mommy and daddy were going to be angry. Especially when they found out that he used the scissors all by himself. That was a big no-no, for sure.

After he played with his food for several minutes, having no appetite to actually eat anything, he looked up at his parents.

"Are you ready to tell us what happened?" Elizabeth asked kindly. She hated having to punish Neal, but she knew that part of parenting was a necessary evil.

"I didn't mean to do it," Neal started. "It was an accident, Mommy."

"It's okay, sweetie. Just tell us what happened."

"It was gum," Neal said miserably. "It got stuck in my hair and then it got stuck to my pillow. I tried to get it out, Mommy, but I couldn't. It was really, really stuck!"

"So, you cut it out? Neal, why didn't you ask for help, sweetie? I probably could have gotten the gum out for you."

"And how exactly did you cut it out, Neal?" Peter asked, suddenly suspicious.

"My scissors! Neal George Caffrey Burke, did you take my kitchen scissors? You know you're not to use scissors without one of us, young man!"

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I think I p-panicked."

"Oh, sweetie, the next time just come to us, okay? Look at how much more trouble you've caused for yourself by sneaking around."

Neal didn't answer.

"Seems like you've had a busy morning, little man. So, I think an earlier bedtime is called for tonight. And for the rest of the week. And no movie night tonight. I think some time in your room to think about your poor choices will do you some good."

"That's not fair, Daddy!" Neal cried. He hated earlier bedtimes.

"Yes, it is, buddy."

"But, Mommy doesn't deserve to be punished, Daddy. And if we miss movie night tonight that won't be fair to her. It's her turn to pick the movie."

"Well, she'll just have to wait until next week. No movie night tonight, Neal."

Elizabeth looked like she was about to argue, but one look from her husband stopped her. "Daddy's right, sweetie. No movie night tonight. But, just wait Peter Burke," she said as she turned to her husband with a mock glare. "I have the perfect movie for us to watch next week. I'm sure you'll love it."

* * *

After more lecturing from both Elizabeth and Peter, Neal was pretty sure he wouldn't ever pick up a pair of scissors again. Or chew a piece of gum. Elizabeth wasn't happy with the fact that he had taken a piece of gum from her purse without asking.

She also wasn't happy with having to totally reschedule her morning, now that she needed to take Neal some place to get his hair fixed. Neal wasn't happy with the idea of getting his hair cut. He hated haircuts!

After making several phone calls to reschedule her work day, Elizabeth was able to make an appointment with Peter's barber. She was hoping that Neal's hair wouldn't have to be completely shaved, but the more she looked at the huge chunk of missing hair, she knew she'd better resign herself to seeing his precious curls on the barbershop floor.

Once they were at the barber shop, Neal refused to get out of the car. "I don't want to go in, Mommy. I don't want a haircut."

"Neal, come on, sweetie. I really don't have a lot of time. And we need to get you to school."

"I don't want to go to school. Everyone's going to laugh at me."

Elizabeth unbuckled Neal's seatbelt and gently lifted him from his seat. She was surprised when he went completely limp, making it impossible for her to set him down on the ground.

"Neal, stand up," she said.

Neal continued to rest against her limply. Without any other option, Elizabeth closed the car door and carried her son into the barber shop. When she went to place him in the waiting barber's chair, he went limp again, sliding down to the floor.

"Neal!" she said in exasperation.

"I don't want my hair cut, Mommy. Please!"

"Neal, that's enough. You're getting your hair cut, young man. That's all there is to it. Now, sit up in this chair like the six year old you are, okay?"

Neal immediately sat up straight, as if suddenly remembering that he was, in fact, a six year old now. He eyed the barber cautiously, but allowed the man to put the black cape around his neck. Everything was going good until the man held up the scissors.

"Hey," Neal yelled as he ducked his head away. "You're not supposed to play with scissors. Where's your mommy?"

The barber, whose name was Gavin, laughed out loud at that. "My mommy is far, far away, Neal. And I'm not playing with the scissors. I'm going to use them to fix your hair, if you'll sit still long enough."

Neal looked at Gavin strangely, but sat up straight again. "Did you know that you're s'posed to hold the scissors down when you're walking with them? And Mommy says you're never s'posed to run with them, either. Did you know that?"

"I _did_ know that, Neal, but thanks for reminding me. Workplace safety is always important, right?"

The rest of the haircut went pretty smoothly. Gavin was able to cut Neal's hair in a way that minimized the obviousness of the missing chunk without completely shaving his head. Elizabeth was happy to see that Neal still had some of his beautiful curls. Neal was just happy to be done with it.

Just as they were about to leave, Neal ran over and gave Gavin a hug. Elizabeth watched as Neal tugged Gavin down to his level and whispered something in his ear. Seconds later, he followed Elizabeth out to the car. Elizabeth settled him back into his car seat, buckling him in securely, before she noticed the sad look on Neal's face.

"Hey, sweetie….don't be sad. Your new haircut looks good. No one's going to laugh at you, I promise."

"I know I look good, Mommy. That's not why I'm sad."

"Then what's up? Why are you sad?"

"I'm sad for Gavin, Mommy. He said his mommy was far, far away, remember? I bet he misses her a lot."

"I bet he does, too, sweetie. But, don't be sad, okay? I'm sure he calls her on the phone all the time."

"But, why is she so far away?"

"Well, sometimes when people grow up, they move away from their mommies and daddies, Neal."

"Really? Why?"

"Lots of reasons, sweetie. College, new jobs, marriage…."

"I won't do that, Mommy. I promise."

"You might, sweetie. What if you decide you want to go away to some great college? Or what if you meet a beautiful girl from another country and decide to marry her? It's okay to move away, Neal, as long as you stay in touch with your family."

"I'm not going to college, Mommy. And I don't want to get married. I'm going to stay with you forever."

"As much as I'd love that, Neal, I just want you to do what makes you happy."

"Being with you makes me happy, Mommy. Even if you make me eat yucky vegetables and take a bath every night. I'll never leave you, I promise."

Elizabeth placed a kiss firmly on the top of Neal's newly cut hair. "I'll never leave you, either, sweetie."

* * *

By the time movie night rolled around the next week, Peter was nervous. He hated the thought of having to sit through two hours of whatever torture Elizabeth had in store for him. Knowing his wife, it really would be torturous. It was bad enough when Neal picked out the movies, but chick flicks and Peter just didn't get along. At all.

Prepared to spend the next two hours trying to stay awake, Peter armed himself with a strong cup of coffee and a bag of chips. He noticed how Elizabeth disdainfully eyed the potato chips and was happy when she didn't say anything. But, then he got even more nervous. If she was going to let the junk food slide so easily, she must have a doozy of a movie in store for him.

Peter settled onto the couch, just as Neal took a running jump, intending to land next to him. Instead, he partially landed on his dad, his knobby knees spearing the man directly in his groin. Peter groaned loudly, feeling a surge of nausea shoot through him as he broke out in a cold sweat. The only sound he made was a rather forceful "Oof!"

Neal, who was oblivious to the pain he had caused Peter, jumped up and down, grinding his knees even harder into the man's groin. "Daddy, did you see what movie Mommy picked out? She said she picked it out just for you. Did you know that?"

Peter, who still couldn't talk, looked at Elizabeth, silently begging her to take Neal from his lap. Elizabeth quickly picked up the over-excited six year old and placed him on the couch next to Peter. After a few minutes of Peter trying to catch his breath and keep from throwing up, he settle back into the couch, prompting Elizabeth to start the movie.

Seconds later, Peter groaned, his worst nightmare coming true when he saw the intro to the movie his wife had picked out.

"Just kill me now," he said with a loud sigh as Neal started happily clapping his hands next to him.

* * *

Author's note: Oh my goodness….it's been so long since I've played around in this universe. Is anyone still interested in the adventures of little Neal? If so, I'd love to hear from you.

The beginning of this chapter didn't work out as well as I wanted, but it is what it is, right? It definitely seemed to flow much better by the end. At least in my opinion. And what movie do you think Elizabeth picked out?

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this little chapter. And thanks so much for reading and reviewing. Oh, and in case you're interested, I have two new stories in the Supernatural world going on as well. I'd love it if you'd give them a read, too.


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